Bill was a real "boot strap man", pulling himself up with hard work and sheer determination to achieve a better life. At age 16, he joined the Merchant Marines while paying his way through classes at Rutgers University. He took a break from this when the US Army called him to duty for the Korean War. Afterwards, he took more classes to become an engineer, then worked for American Bureau of Shipping. He and his young family moved overseas to facilitate this job and spent many years living abroad in various countries of Asia and Europe. He retired back in the U.S. where he spent his golden years in Florida.